Android 4.3 App ops permission manager: hidden but easily accessible

While Google talked quite a bit about the features of Android 4.3 during the 'breakfast' event earlier in the week, it now appears as if not everything was discussed. We hope to see more hidden discoveries, but in the meantime there is something called App Ops. This is a mostly hidden feature, but at the same time it is one that can easily be accessed if you know the trick.

There is an app available in the Google Play Store called "Permission Manager" and installing this will grant you access to the App Ops functionality. The real question will be whether you want and/or need access to App Ops. For that, read on to see just what can be done using it. In short, App Ops will allow you to set permissions based on individual apps.

Using Facebook as an example, App Ops will allow you to make it so the app can never access your location, never read the contacts or never modify the contacts. These options will vary from app to app. Some of the others that we have seen can place limits on the ability to use the dialer, modify the settings and more.

Basically, using this app will allow you to unlock the hidden functionality that is built into Android 4.3. With this users should be able to take much more control over what each individual app can and (perhaps more important) cannot do. The Permissions Manager app is available for free and similar to the App Ops functionality -- it requires Android 4.3 for use.

So far Google hasn't given any indication as to when this would be un-hidden and made available without this little trick. Then again, with Android 4.3 running on so few devices at this point in time, that probably isn't much of a concern at this point in time.